The Island Council of Tenerife is planning to set up a renewable energy generation system for self-consumption on the rooftop of the Light Packaging Selection and Classification Plant of the Tenerife Environmental Complex (Arico). This project, funded with 354,000 Euros from European Next Generation grants, is scheduled to be completed within three months.
The plant is involved in sorting and recovering bottles, jars, plastic containers, soft drink cans, and cartons from Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro. It has the capacity to process up to 19,000 tons of materials annually.
Blanca Pérez, the Minister for the Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies, stated yesterday that “the implementation of renewable energy for self-consumption can bring about economic, environmental, and competitive advantages, while also contributing to the sustainability of the facilities at the Tenerife Environmental Complex”.
The director of Waste on the island, Alejandro Molowny, along with the director of the Natural Environment, Pedro Millán, recently met with technicians to advance the project. Alejandro Molowny highlighted that “we are progressing according to the roadmap we have established for waste management, focusing not only on constructing new infrastructure but also on enhancing existing ones. We have approved over 55 million Euros in projects for the next two years, including this photovoltaic energy installation.”
Pedro Millán added, “Our aim is to reduce the environmental impact of our operations by investing in decarbonisation measures.”
The initial action planned at the Light Packaging Selection and Classification Plant involves reinforcing the roof of the packaging facility to accommodate 503 photovoltaic panels with a total generating capacity of 250 kW and an installed capacity of 277 kW.
The production of renewable energy through photovoltaic panels in this case is intended to ensure the plant’s energy self-sufficiency, lower production costs, and reduce the environmental impact of obtaining energy from less eco-friendly sources.